


Small World

by LumiOlivier



Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game)
Genre: Childhood Friends, Cute, Fluff, Gen, Reunions, Separation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-09
Updated: 2020-06-09
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:00:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,797
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24628204
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LumiOlivier/pseuds/LumiOlivier
Summary: MC's first day of college has her a bit on edge.  Although, she bumps into a familiar pair of someones that she can't understand why they feel so familiar.
Relationships: 707 | Choi Luciel/Choi Saeran/Main Character
Comments: 2
Kudos: 57





	Small World

**Author's Note:**

  * For [noriwrites](https://archiveofourown.org/users/noriwrites/gifts).



> I hope this does your heart some good.  
> xx

It’s weird to think about my first day of school. I mean, I hardly remember it. There was me crying for a minute. God, I was so scared. It was the first time I had ever been away from my parents for a substantial amount of time. Granted, it was only four hours in the morning, but still enough to be traumatizing. However, as soon as my crying started, it suddenly stopped. It was because of a pair of twins that I stopped crying. I remember that much. And they played a cruel trick on me to stop it.

It started with the first one coming up to me, asking me if I was broken. Then, the second asked me if I sprung a leak. I thought they were the same person for the longest time and I could hardly wrap my head around the concept of identical twins. They also had me thinking they could teleport, but that’s here nor there. The three of us got along for the most part. Except for when it got around to naptime. They’d occasionally fight over who I’d be sharing a mat with. Usually, I’d end up sleeping between them to keep them from killing each other. Back when things were simpler. When naptimes were mandatory and no one cared if someone was sharing a mat with two boys.

And now…My first day of college. Where sharing a mat with two boys was…I wouldn’t call it commonplace, but I wouldn’t call it rare either. When naptime would get someone yelled at, depending on its location. Where we didn’t get to sit and color unless we were a fine arts major. And much like my first day of Kindergarten, I could probably start crying at the drop of a hat, too. 

I knew the whole experience could be a little overwhelming, but I didn’t think it’d hit me this bad. Relax, MC. You can do it. At least I thought I did. Until some asshole with white hair decided to bump into me and bitch at me for no reason. Is this what I have to look forward to? Awesome. Just fantastic.

“Saeran! You can’t just push people out of your way!” a voice called after him, “That’s how you piss off rental cops!”

Asshole stuck his middle finger straight up in the air without a word. I shook him off, “Thanks, but I’m alright.”

“I’m sorry about that,” he apologized, “My brother can be a little…Abrasive sometimes. He’s a salty Steve, but he really can be a sweetheart when he wants to be.”

“I see that,” I dusted myself off, “No real damage to report. I think I’ll live.”

“I’m guessing you go here?” the boy asked.

“Yeah,” I resorted my books in my arm, “I’m actually trying to find my dorm. Do you know where the Hickory building is?”

“I do!” he chimed, “I’m on my way to the Hickory building, too! You live there?”

“I guess so,” I didn’t think it was a coed building, but I’m not complaining. It’s not the end of the world. 

“Hey…” he looked me over, “Do I know you? Something about you seems really familiar.”

“I don’t think so.” I’m pretty sure I’d remember someone like this guy. He seemed like he could jump out of his skin at any given moment. Although, now that I got to thinking about my first ever day of school, he kind of reminded me of one of the twins that got me to stop crying. I didn’t get a good look at the other guy, but I don’t think these two were even twins. Brothers, yes. That was obvious enough, “What’s your name?”

“That’s the big question, isn’t it?” he played it off, “I’ve been called many names over the years. Most of my friends call me Seven these days.”

“Seven,” I gave him a look, “What is that? Some kind of nickname?”

“Something like that,” Seven kept his lips sealed, “I’m…Let’s just say not at liberty to discuss what I do for a living. But I got downtime, so I thought I’d give college the old…college…try…So, that’s why they call it that…”

“Did that just dawn on you?” I giggled. He’s adorable.

“Yep!” he sang out, “But the lovable creature that almost knocked you over? That’s my brother Saeran. He’s my roommate.”

“Lucky you,” I jabbed. But I thought back. Saeran…Something about that name was turning gears in my head. I don’t know why, but it shot signals all over my brain, “Maybe if we’re lucky enough, we’ll be neighbors.”

“I don’t know if I’d call that lucky for you,” Seven teased, “What if we bring ladies back to our room?”

“What if I bring guys back to mine?” I retaliated, “That’s a two way street, my dude.”

“But!” he added, “You never told me what your name was.”

“It’s MC,” I introduced myself, “I’ll be in room number 606.”

“You’re joking…” Seven gasped.

“No.”

“I’m in 607!” he squealed, “I knew it! We’re neighbors!”

“God help us…” I knew I’ve felt this exasperation before. I just couldn’t place it.

“Tell you what,” Seven bargained, “I won’t bring any girls back to my room if you don’t bring any guys to yours. At least not without fair warning.”

“Deal,” I shook his hand. There was something…strangely comforting in holding Seven’s hand. I didn’t understand it. The only way I could describe it was like having a parent holding their child’s hand while crossing the street. Like…I was safe. Hopefully, this will be the beginning of a beautiful friendship between us. 

“Hey, MC,” Seven and I walked into our new building, “Can I ask you something?”

“Go ahead,” I allowed, “What’s eating you?”

“Not really eating me,” he clarified, “There’s just…I got this nagging feeling in the back of my mind and I don’t know what to do with it.”

“Where are you going with this, Seven?” I worried, “Because no still means no and I do carry mace.”

“I don’t blame you,” Seven backed off, “I usually carry a bodyguard, but that’s for a different reason. Besides, I didn’t mean that kind of a nagging feeling. Like…Have I met you before? Because you remind me of someone I knew a long time ago, but I haven’t seen her since that long time ago.”

“I’m pretty sure I’d remember meeting someone like you,” I giggled. Seven was definitely a one of a kind.

“Well,” we stopped outside our respective rooms, “Here we are. You wouldn’t want to come over, would you? Saeran and I have a Nintendo 64 and a microwave. I don’t know if he set it up yet. You know what? Never mind. I’m sure you have your own unpacking to do and I understand if you don’t want to be left alone with a guy you just met.”

I put my finger up to his never stopping lips, “Only if you have Goldeneye and Hot Pockets.”

“I think I love you.”

“I might be inclined to say I loved you, too,” I leaned against my door, “But _only_ if you have Goldeneye and Hot Pockets.”

“Would that make you a Goldeneye digger?” Seven had the biggest damn grin on his face. I could tell he was proud of himself for that one. And I’ll admit. That was clever.

“Depends on if you can deliver…”

“Oh,” he pushed his door open, “I can deliver. Saeran! Are you presentable?”

Silence…

“I don’t think he’s home,” I pointed out.

“Then, come on in!” Seven insisted, jumping onto his bed, “Home sweet home. Welcome to the future den of sin.”

“And by sin,” I figured, “You mean inviting a girl over to partake in your N64 and some Hot Pockets?”

“I’m sure that’s a sin in some religions,” he shrugged, “But what do I know? I’ve only known one religion my whole life.”

“Let me guess,” I assumed, “Are you going to tell me you’re one of those guys that say gaming is your religion?”

“No, actually,” Seven corrected me, “I’m Catholic. But I liked yours, too.”

“You’re a dork, Seven,” I let him have that one, though. Chances are, there won’t be any sin in this room aside from what Seven and Saeran do when they’re alone. But that’s between them and Jesus, “By the way, you’re not one of those Goldeneye players that are hella brutal, are you? It’s been a while since I last played and I’d rather not completely get my ass handed to me.”

“I’ll go kind of easy on you,” he promised, “For the first couple matches anyway. After that, it’s no mercy.”

“I’ll only need a few matches to get my bearings back,” I took his clear purple controller, “I’m ready when you are.”

“Fun fact!” Seven booted up the game and sat next to me, “Goldeneye was my first M rated game.”

“Really?” I chirped, “Mine, too! And I was totally too young to be playing something like that.”

“Me, too! How old were you?”

“Knocking on six,” I remembered, “I was playing it at a friend’s house in his basement.”

“My first time was in the basement, too,” Seven added, “I remember playing with a friend of mine when I was about five or six, too. When we got pretty into it, I found where her spawn point was and covered the whole area in landmines. I was that guy.”

“That’s a dick move,” I gave him a shove, “Why would you do something so awful?”

“I don’t even remember my reasoning behind it,” he admitted, “But damn, it was fun. She’d play as Natalia and watching her blow up tickled me like you wouldn’t believe.”

“Still a dick move, Seven,” I glared.

“Oh, I did a lot of dick moves when I was little,” Seven laughed to himself, “When Saeran and I were in…I want to say kindergarten…We were awful on our own, but when we teamed up…All hell broke loose. I still send yearly fruit baskets to our kindergarten teacher as an apology. Catholic guilt is a bitch to live with. I wish I knew what happened to our friend, though. The one I’d play Goldeneye with. I hope she’s doing ok.”

“That’s very sweet to say, Seven,” I awed.

“Thank you,” a little smile graced his face, “You want a dick move, though? In our first week of school, Saeran and I had her convinced we could teleport. We’re identical twins. We have to use that to our advantage once in a while and get into mischief. And because it was our first day of school, our mom made the grave mistake of dressing us alike. That only made it worse. So, I’d tell Saeran to go hide and when I told her I was going to teleport, Saeran would come out. Then, Saeran would tell her and I’d come out of hiding. It went on like that for a good ten minutes before she realized…”

“There were two of you,” I remembered that all too well. Then, suddenly, it hit me. I knew exactly what that feeling was like. Because I felt it firsthand.

“That’s right!” Seven gave himself a pat on the back, “I thought it was pretty clever, if I do say so myself.”

“And let me guess,” I assumed, “This girl…She was probably the kind of girl that you’d take under the slide at recess and sneak a kiss or two in just before the bell rang, wasn’t she?”

“Actually…” his cheeks started to turn red, “It’s weird you say that. Because I’m pretty sure I did just that once or twice.”

I put my controller down and took his away from him, lacing my fingers between his own, “I bet it was only on Fridays. Because you were going to go an entire weekend without seeing her and wanted to let her know you liked her.”

“That’s weirdly specific…”

“I know it is, Saeyoung,” I melted inside, “The girl you were talking about? I think she’s doing ok. She’s probably in college now, playing Goldeneye with some guy she just met, wondering what kind of Hot Pockets he has. And when his brother’s going to come back. And why it took her so long to realize who was sitting next to her.”

I could see it in his eyes. That was my Saeyoung. That was him. There was no way he could be anyone else. Either this was him or our experiences of growing up were eerily similar. But the gears were turning. And his jaw started lowering. He knew who exactly who I was, “…MC?”

“Yes?”

“Not too many people know what my real name is,” he confessed, “Because of the work I do and the information I handle, I introduce myself under a codename. That’s why my friends call me Seven.”

“And not too many people can teleport,” I sat a little closer, “But sometimes, that little girl grows up still believing you can. Unless you’re pulling another Parent Trap and you’re actually Saeran.”

“No,” Saeyoung shook his head, “I’m me. I promise. I know this is going to sound crazy, but…Do you think…Maybe I could…Get a…”

I didn’t even think twice about it. I threw my arms around that boy, practically tackling him to the bed, “I don’t ever want to hear you ask me for that again. Do you understand?”

“Yes, ma’am,” he was mesmerized. He couldn’t stop studying my face, looking for any trace of that little girl he used to kiss under the slide and thought he was magic, “Wow, MC…You’re so different, yet you haven’t changed a bit. I don’t get it.”

“I see you’re as easy to fire up as always,” I beamed, laying on his chest, “You know, Saeyoung…I missed you. And Saeran. I didn’t think you guys were ever going to come back.”

“But here we are,” Saeyoung cuddled me, “Neighbors in the same dorm hall.”

“On my first day of first grade,” I confessed, “I cried when I found out you two weren’t coming back. My mom had to come pick me up, I was so bad. But she told me there was always next year. Second grade came. You guys didn’t. Eventually, I figured I wasn’t going to see you again.”

“But here we are,” he repeated, “I’m sorry, MC. But…Our lives were complicated back then. Hell, they’ve only gotten worse.”

“But at least you’re here…” my voice broke, “You’re back…”

“As far as I know.”

“But…” a few tears escaped my eyes, “How long is it going to be until you leave again? You might have been a pain in the ass for the teachers, but there was no doubt. You and Saeran were the smartest kids in class. How long will it be until a different university offers to take you on? I know I can’t be selfish and beg you to stay here, but it wouldn’t be right to not let you pass on an opportunity because of…”

Saeyoung put his lips on mine, effectively making me go silent, “Yep. You haven’t changed.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I sat up.

“Not a single bit,” he smirked, “Nope. Not you, MC. You’re still the same old MC I knew.”

“What?” I whined.

“It’s like living in a weird time loop where reunions are caused by some sort of temporal shift in the timelines and this might be the timeline where robots take over. Then, we turn into this badass society where mechanics and engineering are the top of the food chain and we all get mech suits! How awesome would that be?!”

“SAEYOUNG!” I snapped, “What are you rattling on about? What do you mean, I haven’t changed?”

“Just that,” Saeyoung sat with me, “You still talk too much. And that’s coming from a guy like me. Look, I understand you’ve been scorn before, but I didn’t have any control over that. Now that we’ve grown up a bit…”

“Seriously?” I gave him a look.

“I said a bit!” he defended, “What I’m trying to say is that I’m not going anywhere. Full autonomy! I can’t speak for Saeran, but I know that at least I’ll still be here. I don’t plan on switching schools any time soon. Besides, did you really think you could get rid of me that easily? Come on, MC. You really should know better. I’m gum on the bottom of your shoe on a hot summer day. Oh, god…That sounds sticky…And some of my shoes are kind of expensive, so…”

“So…” I let out a sigh of relief, “I have nothing to worry about?”

“You have nothing to worry about,” Saeyoung promised, “What do you say we take a walk? I know where there’s a park nearby. Maybe we could find a slide to hang out under for a while.”

“What about our game of Goldeneye?” I asked, “I thought we were going to do some mutual ass handing.”

“We could always do that, too,” he grabbed his controller, “But excuse me for wanting to be a little sentimental and wax nostalgia with you.”

“Shut up…” I rolled my eyes, giggling under my breath, “How is this not waxing nostalgia? When we’d play this when we were kids, I wanted to beat the shit out of you in real life for the landmines. Only this time, we don’t have adult supervision to protect you.”

“Should I have Saeran come back?” Saeyoung winced, “Should I be concerned? No…I can’t call Saeran. He’d probably sit back and watch. I could always call Vanderwood. I’m sure he’d have my back.”

“Who’s Vanderwood?” I wondered.

“My bodyguard,” he explained, “Vanderwood could kill someone with his bare hands. It wouldn’t surprise me if he has. I’m pretty sure he has a license to kill. I HAVE MY OWN JAMES BOND!”

“Settle down, turbo,” I hushed him, “I’m not going to hurt you.”

“Good.”

“I’m just going to savagely beat you in a video game instead.”

“That’s not nice, MC,” Saeyoung pouted, already choosing our arena. Complex…Interesting. Someone’s not screwing around today.

“Says the guy that picked Odd Job,” I jabbed.

“Come on…There’s nothing wrong with being Odd Job.”

“Then, be Jaws,” I argued.

“I wanted to be Odd Job, though,” Saeyoung stood his ground.

“My god, Saeyoung,” Saeran walked in, “Just be Jaws. Odd Job is too overpowered.”

“Thank you, Saeran.” It’s nice when someone’s got my back. I don’t usually expect it to be Saeran, though.

“No prob…” Saeran stopped himself, looking at me strange, “How do you know my name? We’ve never met.”

“Yes, we have,” I nodded.

“You’re not going to believe this, Saeran,” Saeyoung squeaked, “But do you remember when we were in kindergarten and there was that girl we used to pick on mercilessly all the time?”

“Yeah,” Saeran opened the mini-fridge and got himself a juice box, “You had the biggest crush in the world on her. I remember you going on and on about your best friend MC and how you wanted to meet aliens with her and colonize another planet.”

I forgot how quick Saeran was to throw Saeyoung under the bus. In its own special way, it was kind of cute. Saeyoung scrambled to pull himself back together, “Yeah…That’s the one.”

“Hi, Saeran,” I smiled, “It’s good to see you again. And nice to know Saeyoung was thinking about me.”

Saeran did a quick double take, his eyes scanning over my face just like his brother, “No…”

“Yeah.”

“Prove it,” Saeran demanded, “What’s something that only MC would know?”

“Well…” I thought it over for a minute or two. Hmm…Something only I would know, “My name is MC.”

“I already mentioned her name. Try again.”

“I know that you and Saeyoung are identical twins,” I pointed out, “And that you two used that against me.”

“Already said. What else do you got?”

I see I’m going to have to pull out the big guns for this one, “You peed your pants in kindergarten and didn’t know who else to tell, so you told me. And I told the teacher. The teacher came over and helped you out. You told me to swear to never tell another living soul for as long as I live. And now, Saeyoung knows.”

“You what?!” Saeyoung started giggling uncontrollably while Saeran’s cheeks started turning red.

“Alright, I believe you,” Saeran shut his brother up with a sharp, piercing glare, “So, it really is you, huh, MC?”

“In the flesh,” I shrugged, “Here I am.”

“Small world…” Saeran threw himself on his bed. 

“Hey, MC,” Saeyoung pulled me into his lap, “Can I tell you a secret?”

“Sure,” I allowed, “What’s up?”

“Saeran used to call you school mom…”

“WHAT THE HELL, SAEYOUNG?!” Saeran growled at him.

“That was dirty, Saeyoung,” I gave him a little swat to the shoulder. Nothing overly hard, “Tell him you’re sorry.”

“Now, I get why he’d call you school mom,” Saeyoung noticed, “Yet again, you haven’t changed a bit, MC. It’s nice to have you back.”

“MC,” Saeran requested, “Do you think you could hit him a little harder? You know…For grievances unnamed?”

“No,” I may not have started their fight, but I sure as hell ended it.

“Alright,” he got up from his bed and reached back. I caught his hand before it could make any contact.

“I said no,” I reiterated, “Back off. If I tell you dirt on Saeyoung, will you pull your underpants out of your crack?”

“Yes, please,” Saeran sat back down.

“What kind of dirt could you possibly have on me?” Saeyoung wondered, “I’m pretty squeaky clean.”

“When Saeyoung and I would run off under the slide,” I told him, “The first time he kissed me, he just licked my face and said that was a kiss. Because that was how dogs did it.”

“Seriously?” Saeran looked over at his brother with great pity in his eyes, “Hard to believe you’re the older one. Even I knew better then.”

“Shut up, Saeran!” Saeyoung buried his face in my shoulder, hiding his shame, “I was five! You can’t blame me for that!”

And Saeyoung says I never changed. These two are still at each other’s throats. Granted, it’s a little less severe than it used to be, but who knows? Maybe having a buffer back in their lives could make that better. At least I hope it does. It really is a small world, isn’t it? Just when I think I’m never going to see my boys again, they manage to show up when I need them the most. 


End file.
